A Brief Introduction on the Key Work of Non-tertiary Education and Youth Affairs in Academic Year 2012/2013

A new academic year brings new hopes and visions, teaching staff and students once again stand confidently at the starting line of the new academic year. The Education and Youth Affairs Bureau (hereinafter referred as DSEJ) would like to wish all teaching staff a "Happy Teachers' Day" on 10th September, and thank schools and education workers for their long-term efforts. Meanwhile, DSEJ would also like to wish all students an enjoyable and fulfilling academic year. Increase in the number of teachers, a slight decrease in the number of students
In Academic Year 2012/2013, the total number of school is 78. Due to the change in birth rate and population structure in Macao, the total number of students at the beginning of this academic year is expected to be 73,769. Of which, 71,294 are formal education students and 2,475 are recurrent education students, there is a slight decrease in both in comparison to that of the previous academic year. The total number of teachers is expected to be 6,280; there is a significant increase in comparison to that of the previous academic year. The teacher-student ratio and class-teacher ratio of formal education are improved constantly, which are optimized to 1:11.9 and 1:2.5 respectively; the average class size of formal education is 29.5 students. Increase in education investment, reflection of education equity
In order to further promote sustained enhancement of education quality in Macao, the SAR Government will continue to increase investment in education in the new academic year, so as to gradually achieve the goals of the "Ten Year Plan for the Development of Non-Tertiary Education (2011-2020)". To continuously create better conditions for teaching and learning, the SAR Government continues to increase the amount of free-education subsidy. Of which the amount of subsidy for each class of infant, primary, junior secondary and senior secondary education is increased to 605 thousands, 640 thousand, 820 thousand and 930 thousand patacas respectively. For students studying in schools of non-free education school system, the tuition subsidy for each student of infant, primary and secondary education levels is increased to 14 thousand, 16 thousand and 17 thousand patacas respectively. In terms of text book subsidy, the subsidy for infant education level remains 1,500 patacas per year, and that for primary and secondary education levels are both increased from 1,700 to 1,900 patacas. The above-mentioned measures are conducive to providing more quality education for students and promoting education equity. To further promote the development of small class education, assist each and every student to learn successfully, enhance the quality of education, the calculation criteria and amount of subsidies for the "Subsidy Scheme of optimisation of class- teacher ratio and teacher-student ratio" are adjusted from the new academic year. Level 3 and Level 4 are added for secondary education level, the maximum amount of subsidy per class is 244 thousand patacas, so as to further provide teachers and students with quality teaching conditions. Striving to implement the "System Framework", building a high quality teaching team
The "Ten-year Plan" takes "Strengthening the building of teaching team" as an important measure, this reflects that the Government attaches importance to promoting professional development of teaching staff. At present, DSEJ is preparing for the celebration activities of the statutory Teachers' Day. In addition, as the Academic Year 2012/2013 is the first academic year implementing the "System Framework", the DSEJ will issue commemorative stamps for the Teachers' Day, build the Teachers' Day Website for leaving a message for teachers, play special programmes and promotional clips for the Teachers' Day, send congratulation SMS and emails, as well as hold movie sessions, etc., showing respects to teachers in different ways and promoting the prevailing custom of respecting teachers, so as to enhance the social status of teachers. Since the promulgation of the "System Framework", several explanatory sessions and over 50 briefing sessions were held to explain the main contents of the "System Framework" to about 5000 practicing teaching staff from all the schools in Macao, the preliminary level of ranking of teaching staff were confirmed as well. Special briefing session will also be organized for new teaching staff in the new academic year. Meanwhile, the related work of "System Framework" will be followed up orderly, including setting the professional criteria of teaching staff, providing schools with reference guidelines for the work performance evaluation of teaching staff, monitoring schools to abide by the provision of maintaining the expenditure of remuneration and provident fund of teaching staff in each school year occupies 70% or above of the fixed and long-term school revenue. Furthermore, necessary conditions will be created to enable schools to prepare for the implementation of differentials in basic salary within the school. On the other hand, the DSEJ also works in various aspects to enhance the professional standard and abilities of teaching staff. In the new academic year, schools are guided to establish effective teaching and research mechanisms through the "School Operations Guide"; schools are also supported to develop teaching and research activities in different forms to enhance teachers' teaching and research abilities through the "Programme of Introducing Outstanding Teachers from Mainland China to Macao for Exchange", "Award Scheme on Instructional Design", as well as the related workshops and training activities. Moreover, various types of training activities are organized to further strengthen the professional standard of the teaching team, including continuing to organize the Training Programmes for Principals, Middle and Senior Management Personnel of Schools; extending the principal teacher training, principle teacher training for teachers of primary and secondary physical education and information technology education will be carried out in 2013; cooperating with tertiary institutes to provide more places for education degree and diploma promgrammes for the teachers needed; organizing a series of professional development activities for the newly recruited teachers, etc. Furthermore, the DSEJ starts to establish the "Subsidy scheme of Attracting Outstanding Students Taking Education Programme" from the Academic Year 2012/2013, so as to encourage outstanding students taking teacher training Bachelor's degree programme, they can join the teaching and education career after graduation, so as to promote the sustained development of the teaching team. Steady promotion of curriculum reform
The legislation of the "Formal Education Curriculum Framework" is carrying out smoothly in accordance with the plan. In the new academic year, the infant education curriculum guidelines will be improved, and the elaboration of the statute of the "Requirements of Basic Academic Attainments" of infant education will be advanced. In terms of curriculum pilot projects, the connotation of the pilot project of infant education will be deepened in the Academic Year 2012/2013; on the basis of last year's project, the five learning areas of infant education will be integrated into teaching activities in full range. In addition, the curriculum pilot project for primary education will also be implemented; the participating schools will put into effect the concept and requirements of the new curriculum in implementation of the various standards of the curriculum framework and requirements of basic academic attainments. Through organizing different types of teaching and research activities, teachers are allowed to master the essential curriculum development abilities, so as to enhance the effectiveness of teaching and learning. Matching with the Ten Year Plan, promoting student development
In accordance with the policy direction of the "Ten Year Plan for the Development of Non-Tertiary Education (2011-2020)", the "School Development Plan" of the Academic Year 2012/2013 will take "Enhancing students' language proficiency" and "Promoting students' happy and effective learning" as the key subsidized items, so as to assist schools to create good language learning environment, enhance students' reading literacy, as well as written and oral expression abilities. Student associations are subsidized so as to encourage and promote the development of student associations; training for core members of student associations, good deed award scheme, inter-school exchange and volunteer work, etc. are encouraged to be organized to enhance the positive role of student associations. In order to strengthen the building up of the Moral Education Work Team, DSEJ supports schools to establish the "Moral Education Work Team"; provides trainings for coordinators of moral education work and counselling teachers of student associations, as well as develops the inter-school interaction platform. In addition, the junior and senior secondary "Sex Education Teaching Resources" are published to enrich the teaching resources of Moral Education. Meanwhile, schools are promoted to develop a series of sports activities in the new academic year to enhance students' physical fitness. Schools are subsidized to establish the multi-fitness centre in the available indoor space of the school, in order to enhance students' interest in joining sports activities. Schools are encouraged to arrange sports activities of not less than 150 minutes for students per week, develop different types of physical exercise activities in accordance with the need, so as to develop students' habit of doing exercise in a sustained manner. Attaching importance to parent education, promoting home-school cooperation
Systematic parent education programmes can effectively assist parents to master parenting skills, assisting parents to deepen the knowledge of bringing up children. Hence, DSEJ will cooperate with institutions in organizing parent education courses in Academic Year 2012/2013, taking the "Parent Education Teaching Materials" as the basis, professional mentor teams are invited to develop the activities. On the other hand, in order to enhance the effectiveness of the operation of parents associations and improve the organization and coordination abilities of the secretaries in charge of parents associations, training for persons concerned will be organized timely, so as to allow the core members of parents associations to learn the related contents of home-school cooperation and the operation mode of parents associations. Besides, the DSEJ will cooperate with Hong Kong and local institutions to organize parent education seminars of different themes by applying the related contents of the "Parent Education Teaching Materials" and combining with the issues that the society requires parents to concern. Schools are supported and encouraged to develop school-based parent education activities in the form of cooperation or sending tutors to support. At the same time, the "Award Scheme of 100% Parents" will be launched in the Academic Year 2012/2013, so as to encourage parents to actively participate in the foresaid activities and to promote the creation of parent education atmosphere from various aspects. Carrying out the consultation work of "Youth Policy" in an orderly manner
Young people are the future and hope of the society. The SAR Government has been attaching importance to the holistic development of young people since its establishment. To this end, the DSEJ carried out research and preparatory work for more than a year, in which youths of different backgrounds, related experts and scholars, as well as social non-government organizations were invited to discuss and study together in order to understand the development needs of young people, and in accordance with the 15 areas defined in the "Whole-person Development Strategy of Macao Youth" and integrated with the advantageous factors of gradual implementation of the "Ten Year Plan for the Development of Non-Tertiary Education (2011-2020)", the "Youth Policy" is formulated. To further improve the contents of the Policy, public consultation began from 21st August, a series of consultation activities is going to be carried out; all sectors in the society are invited to participate in the discussion of the contents of the consultation document to jointly frame the "Youth Policy". Conclusion
Education makes a better world. In the new academic year, the DSEJ will actively carry out the policy objective of "developing Macao through education", ensure the effective use of the public resources, enable steady sustained development of schools, create more conducive conditions for teacher professional development and cultivate talents of all aspects for the development of Macao.